THE JOHN REPORT
Going out with a BANG! BANG!
I know what all of you are thinking right about now: That Viscera/Mark Henry
match was one of the greatest matches ever! Well maybe that is not what you
are thinking and obviously that was a joke (not a great one) so save the
hate mail till later. Now that I have taken care of the sarcastic part of
this column lets take a look at the WWF's latest PPV No Way Out and a brief
look at the great Mick Foley.
Was No Way Out the PPV of the year?
I really enjoyed the PPV from top to bottom and I think it was a shade
better than the Royal Rumble. I am not insinuating that the Royal Rumble was
bad or anything I just think that No Way Out (NWO) was better overall. Both
cards had a great main event but the NWO undercard was better than the one
at the Royal Rumble. If you think the Rumble was better I am not going to
argue with you cause both were VERY good. The WWF has made great strides in
the last two months just look at the Armageddon PPV if you don't believe me.
The title match was Big Show vs. Bossman and the main event was Triple H vs.
Vince so obviously they have significantly improved. I am confident enough
to even say that the Royal Rumble and No Way Out are the best back to back
PPVs the WWF has had since they began doing PPVs every month. Of course they
have WrestleMania next month so things could be even better for the WWF.
How did John do?
It turns out that I did not do very well in the preview garnering a 2-5
record while DRQ had a 3-4 record. I never said I was perfect but at least I
am willing to pick a winner of each match even though some people criticize
me for it. Lucky for me, many people like the preview and some even offer
suggestions like this one from reader Tom Shakhli: "It is getting more and
more like the wwf is starting to do exactly the opposite of what the
majority of the internet says. Please next time could you predict the big
slow for a win..." Hmmm, now there's a thought, do the exact opposite of
what I am thinking. It worked for George Costanza in an episode of Seinfeld
so maybe it could work for me.
Anyway, I'll go over the card from top to bottom with thoughts and star
ratings (5 being excellent, 1 being bad, etc.) for each match. It was
definitely a night for the heels and truly a great event all the way
through. I watched it live and watched a tape of it early this morning.
Kurt Angle d. Chris Jericho to become the IC Champion
I thought Jericho would win but I was wrong yet I am not disappointed. The
match was pretty good and was a good choice for an opening match. I am a
little disappointed that Jericho lost but it is okay because he has a very
bright future ahead of him as does Angle. The post match celebration from
Angle was absolutely hilarious but so is most of the things this guy does.
He has given wrestling a refreshing character and I applaud him for all the
success he has had in such a short time. I am hoping they can have a
European title tournament in the coming weeks so that some a deserving
champion like Test or D'Lo can hold a belt and hopefully give credibility
back to it. I wonder if the WWF can actually milk this feud for five more
weeks heading into WM2000 cause ten TV shows means a lot of different
angles. We will have to wait and see I guess. I give it a rating ***1/4
because I liked the ending where Angle blocked the lionsault using the belt.
The Dudley Boyz d. The New Age Outlaws to become Tag Team Champions
This was not much of a surprise especially after learning that Mr. Ass had a
shoulder injury. The match did nothing for me but it was decent enough to
get a rating of *1/2 from me. I hope the Outlaws split up because they are
no longer needed in the tag division. Mr. Ass is out for three months with a
shoulder injury and I for one won't miss him.
Mark Henry d. Viscera
I am sure WWF haters will say that the PPV sucked and this is the reason
why. This match did suck but it was kept under four minutes. Oh well, it
proved that nobody is perfect. I would give it a DUD rating but when a guy
hits a body slam for a finisher it is enough to give it a rating of -* and
that is pretty generous.
Edge & Christian d. The Hardy Boyz
You got the usual aerial artistry from this four as they delivered a very
good match. They were not crisp with every move they did but for the most
part it was excellent work by all four guys. I was surprised that the Hardys
lost but the whole night was pretty surprising so I am not upset or
anything. I doubt Edge & Christian will get the title shot at 'Mania though
so there's a good chance the Hardys will face the Dudleys there. I am not
going to guess why Terri turned on them, the obvious reason is that the
Hardys did not protect her, because I have never understood the mind of a
woman and I never will. I give it a rating of **** for a match I enjoyed and
was pleased to see given over 15 minutes.
Tazz v. Big Bossman ended in a DQ
Why not save this for TV? I guess they are trying to build Tazz up as a
tough guy who takes a beating and keeps on ticking but I would have done
things differently. It lasted for about 30 seconds so it gets a DUD rating.
If the Bossman wrestled for more than two minutes it would be negative stars
but it was kept short.
X-Pac d. Kane
I am sure some people are wondering why they would job Kane to X-Pac like
this and I think the answer is due to the fact that Kane's reputation will
not be tarnished after a loss like this. He could be a main eventer any time
he wants while X-Pac needs some big wins over big names in order to move up
the ladder and that is what the WWF did here. Their Armageddon match was
better than this one but this was okay earning a **3/4 rating from me.
Too Cool & Rikishi d. Benoit, Malenko, Saturn
I am surprised the Radicals, particularly Benoit, were a non factor
throughout this match. I mean, don't you think Chris Benoit should have
played a bigger role in his first ever WWF PPV? I am a little disappointed
in the outcome of this one cause the Radicals really could have used a
victory here. The match itself was very good and could have been better if
Rikishi played less of a role in this match. I wish Eddy was out there the
whole time or at least have a run in at the end so he could have hit
Rikishi's angle and Malenko fall on top for the win as he was going for the
Rikishi Driver. I guess Rikishi is in line for a big push though and that's
probably why they won. Unlike WCW the WWF pushes people who are actually
over rather than pushing the guys with the biggest salary and ego. Props to
Christopher and Taylor for doing a great job in the ring proving once again
that they have become very polished in the ring. I know their work is often
overlooked but trust me when I tell you that these two are very good workers
who are only going to improve after working with the likes of The Radicals.
Chris Benoit ended up losing on this night but he has a newborn baby to go
home to so he is probably the happiest person in the world right now and he
deserves that sort of happiness. This match gets a ****1/4 rating for me
because I enjoyed the whole thing even though the ending was a little
sloppy.
The Big Show d. The Rock
This was a shocker but I am VERY confident that the Rock will walk out of
WrestleMania as the world champ. I am not going to speculate as to how this
will happen because chances are I will be wrong. Shane McMahon got a big pop
from the crowd because they appreciate the job he is doing with the booking
committee! Actually, they probably cheered for him since he has been AWOL
for over two months now. It was interesting seeing him attack Rocky and I
made sure not to use the word turn cause it's not like he was on Rocky's
side to begin with. The match was decent and provided a definite "what the
fuck?" reaction after seeing it but like I said before Rocky will walk out
of Mania as the world champ. I'll give it a *1/4 with an extra 1/4 for the
surprising finish.
Triple H d. Cactus Jack ending Cactus Jack's career
This was without a doubt one of the greatest matches I have ever seen and
truly one of the most memorable as well. There were so many things that made
it special including the bumping of Foley and the desire to succeed that
Triple H shows in EVERY match he is in. From everything ranging from the
call of JR to the three count by the referee, it was the sort of match that
every wrestling fan will never forget. Mick Foley's first HIAC match back at
KOTR '98 was memorable due to the fantastic bumps he took but this one was
greater in terms of workrate and memorable because it was the last match
Mick Foley ever had. The blade jobs were excellent, the Cactus elbow was one
of the best ever and the bump through the cage was very impressive. Yeah I
know there were many things that insured his safety but I'm willing to bet
that 95% of pro wrestlers would not even attempt to take a 12 foot fall like
that. This was ***** all the way and if I could give it an even higher
rating I most definitely would. It may be a while until the WWF has another
five star main event so relish this one for as long as you can cause it was
amazing.
I promise to write more about this match in the near future as part of my
look at Wrestling's Greatest Matches. I will probably write more about this
match in the future because it deserves all the praise in the world. I am
going to put all of my other columns on hold for at least a week so I can
write a tribute to Mick Foley that should be up this weekend. I also plan on
writing something about the emergence Triple H that I will include in that
same column. I will be writing a column on Wednesday about the happenings
of Monday night so match #3 in my greatest matches series will have to wait
till the middle of next week. Before I wrap this up I need to share some of
my thoughts on one of the greatest ever: Mick Foley
Going out with a BANG! BANG!
I believe Mick Foley will never wrestle again because Foley said it himself
and he is the most honest man this business has ever seen. You can read all
the reports that you want but I have heard Mick Foley say, on WWF TV and off
WWF TV, that he would not wrestle if he lost at No Way Out and I believe
every word that he said.
In the past several big names retired and came back: Roddy Piper had a
"retirement match" 13 years ago at WM3 yet he is still wrestling, Ric Flair
lost a retirement match in '94 yet he's still wrestling, Kevin Nash lost at
Road Wild '99 yet he came back a few months later and Hogan has retired like
six times only to come back a month later. Foley is a man of his word; he
has more pride, honor and integrity than any man that has ever been a part
of this business. A lot of people seem to forget that Mick planned to retire
in November but he continued wrestling because the WWF needed to fill the
main event whole while Steve Austin recovered from neck surgery. Mick
wrestled for the past four months with a much softer schedule so that he
could give it all in the PPVs and by doing so he delivered two consecutive
five star main events. I am upset that he is done but you had to see it
coming so it is not like I am in total shock. I think Foley will be in the
WWF in some sort of on air role because he loves this business too much to
give it up. Even though I hate to say it, I don't think Mick Foley will ever
wrestle actively again.
What many people fail to realize is he has helped the WWF out greatly with
his performances over the last two months. Where would Triple H and The Rock
be if they never feuded with Mick Foley? These two are the future of the WWF
and they owe Mick Foley a huge debt of gratitude for putting them over so
that they can carry the company like he did before them. I know Triple H has
a lot of doubters out there, I was one of them, but the guy has really
stepped it up in the past seven months or so and it is thanks to the efforts
given by Foley. Mick is a very smart man and he knew how good Triple H is
right now so he did the thing every wrestling employee should do, he passed
the torch to a guy that deserved to run with the torch. I am sure Mick could
have wrestled in the main event at WrestleMania if he wanted to but he is
well aware of the success that Triple H has had. I had people mail me saying
"Vince is an asshole for screwing Mick like this" but I think that is way
wrong. Everybody and their grandma knows that The Rock vs. Triple H is what
the WWF has been building for nearly four months now and Mick knew that as
well as anybody. He is the most giving person that the WWF has ever had and
in his last match he gave Triple H the best match of Hunter's career as well
as giving him the spot in the WrestleMania main event.
It is sad to see Mick retire but can you blame a guy for wanting to spend
more time with his family? The reason I respect Mick Foley more than anybody
in this business is because of the love he has for his wife and children. I
can relate to Mick as a father and I know that every decision you make in
your life is going to affect your children whether it is directly or
adversely. I will miss Mick Foley as a wrestler but I am glad that he was
able to walk away from this match so he can go home and be with the people
that really need him: his wife and his two beautiful children.
Michael Jordan retired after winning an NBA title, John Elway retired after
winning a Super Bowl and Mick Foley retired after delivering a five star
match. Wrestling is not about winning; it is about giving back to the fans
and lord knows Mick Foley gave us more than we ever would have asked for.
Don't just have a nice day Mick, have a nice life.
John C.
Big3 Oratory
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